This scene got too long so I split it in two.
Just wanna say that wherever you think this is gonna go… it probably wont.
Because this did not go where I thought it was gonna go lmaooo
Anyways a couple weeks ago I went on a giant writing spree idk where that even came from. As a result I had like 10k written and this chapter was able to get done. I can't promise continuously regular updates, but for now this chapter is here, and the next two are actually partially written. Take that with a grain of salt lol
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Halloween had always been one of her favorite holidays. She got free candy and an excuse to make strange, colorful concoctions when she cooked. That, and there was always something fun about getting all painted and dressed up for a night.
Sure, she was a little old for dressing up, but being with her Aunty Angel had made her realize there were no age limits for having fun. The older woman dressed up every year and had done so since Wren could remember. One year she'd been a scary zombie, makeup done all the way to the full body skin color. The next she'd gussied herself up like a beautiful princess right down to the ballgown.
If she thought about it, she probably loved Halloween so much because of her Aunty.
So that was why as her lunch group talked about the holiday, she listened even though she didn't really care about what was being said. Amy had apparently found 'the absolute cutest' angel costume at the costume store. The stoner guy, who she now knew was named Franklin, was going to be passing out candy for his parents. His plan was to just buy a Scream mask and put it on for the trick or treaters. Another girl was borrowing a sexy cop outfit from her cousin. Maria was still deciding what she wanted to do and was trying to use everyone else as inspiration. Before she knew it, however, Wren found herself being asked.
Now, it wasn't that Maria never talked to her when her other friends were around. If that were the case, Wren wouldn't have bothered hanging out with her. Maria genuinely was nice. This didn't mean that her friends were as nice. They wouldn't exactly ignore her, but none of them ever really listened when she spoke. This time, though, they actually looked at her like they were expecting an answer.
That, of course, made her want to die.
At a loss for words, she glanced down at the partially eaten sandwich in front of her.
"Have you chosen a costume yet?" Maria asked.
Blinking slowly, Wren took a nervous sip of her water and shrugged.
"Well, what did you go as last year?" Maria prompted again.
Thinking carefully, Wren eventually decided it didn't really matter.
"My Aunty and I did matching costumes. We were ghosts with glow in the dark contacts and stuff…"
Amy's eyes lit up when she said "Oh my gosh that's so cool that you got glow in the dark eyes. Where do you even get those?"
Wren had told her, and it had gone into a conversation about Maria doing an alien and Wren helping her get some glowing green contacts for it. From there Maria had insisted they figure out Wren's costume, and everyone began pitching in ideas.
It was nice, if a bit weird.
Sometimes she forgot that in social settings, you can interact with anyone, even if they're not really your friend. Thinking hard on it, she realized she had a hard time remembering the difference between friend and acquaintance, and realizing that it was okay to have both. Not everyone was going to like her. And not everyone would refuse to be her friend.
She'd learned that through many instances of being disappointed and picked on compared with her instances of meeting nice people. Like Maria.
Like Jasper.
By the end of that conversation, Wren had figured out that she was going dress as a traditional Halloween witch. It would be all glitter and glam, black and lace. It had to be loud and glittery because they were going to put lights in the skirt. It was outrageous, out of her comfort zone, and none of it mattered because all she would be doing was passing out candy.
Every year she and her Aunty passed out candy and took in the praises from the impressed little kids. It was goofy, fun, and Wren loved it.
Suffice to say, Wren's day was bettered by that.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
The second reason why she was in such high spirits was much more embarrassing, in her opinion.
After school she'd gone to the library with Jasper.
He was… nice. Still too aggravating for his own good, of course, but nice. He embarrassed the hell out of her, but he engaged her. He dragged things out of her she couldn't figure out herself. Like how to talk to him. How to be challenged.
Jasper was incredibly sharp, but just as easy going. He had an air about him that seemed untouchable, but he made up for in unexpected charm. He was thoughtful, noticing things she wished he didn't - was impressed he did.
And he surprised her. That night after the beach. After the rain. After the most embarrassing shut down of her life.
They played chess. They'd played that stupid, insignificant game for two hours. And he was damn good, and he made her think, and he made her frustrated, and somehow she just felt she could still win. And he hardly said a word. They'd played, and he'd watched her. Read her, openly.
And she let him. She did the same. And maybe it scared her a little, what she saw. That clarity in his eyes that was so sharp it pierced through her. Like a mask lifted. Jasper watched her with eyes that had seen a million things. It felt like he could break her apart and build her back up. He was too attentive, too steady, too disciplined.
It scared her because maybe he'd been doing this all along. Maybe he'd seen through her this whole time, and someone so perceptive like that? It scared her to death.
But she didn't think he wanted to scare her, because he'd only ever been considerate of her. He listened, and maybe, just maybe, he was trying to understand her.
Wren, for all she was worth, just didn't understand why.
They'd played that game, though, and he'd been good.
So had she.
Then it stopped raining, and he went home. She saw him the next day, and it really felt like she had a friend.
So, when Wren saw him that day, after school to work on their History project, she was happy. He'd brought her some cookies this time. Little brittle things that she thought kind of looked like old people crackers, but tasted like butter and almonds and deliciousness. And he'd laughed at her being so surprised.
And they talked, a bit. Mostly about family.
"My Aunty pretty much adopted me when I was 12," she'd told him after he'd asked how long she had lived with her.
He'd hummed slightly, then staring at the ceiling he'd told her about his siblings.
"We're all adopted," he'd said. Wren didn't bother telling him she already knew that much.
"Our father, Carlisle, is a good man."
She wondered if he knew he talked about him more like an equal then in reverence as a son. She also wondered if she was reading into it.
Still taking note of some wording they needed to change up for a summary, Wren told him about her Aunty.
"Aunty is probably the best woman I've ever meant. She's kind of crazy sometimes, but honestly I think everyone is a little crazy."
He'd laughed a bit at that, and it kind of had an edge to it but she didn't comment. Jasper was just odd like that sometimes, it seemed. Most of the people she liked were odd.
"Rosalie is pretty darling; fierce as hell though," he'd said with fondness in his eyes.
"Emmet is big as a rock and kinda acts like one now and again, but his heart is just as vast as his personality," he told her with a smirk.
"That's kind of mean," she pointed out, still never looking at him.
He'd shaken his head and moved on.
"Edward is a pain in the ass," he told her, eyes rolling.
"Never mind, I take back that last one," she'd told him," that was fucking mean."
She really hadn't been thinking then, as she'd actually gotten lost in the work she was trying to finish. Jasper seemed to finish his before they met up every time, but she never could. When she was comfortable enough, she was fairly good at multitasking. But, she'd truly been pulled toward the passage of text she'd been referencing.
That's how she ended up cussing like she did when she was alone. The realization left her mortified.
He'd burst out laughing and she forgot to breathe. She knew why it was funny, of course she did. Wren stuttered and stumbled her way through life, looked like a little boy half the time, and did not seem like she should be allowed to cuss.
So, her saying fuck was a few different kinds of funny.
"Uhghh, I'm sorry please pretend I didn't say that," she said with her face in her hands.
"Wouldn't mind if you said it again," was not the reply she expected.
Instead of processing that, she went straight into taking in a breath, compartmentalizing her feelings, and moving on within the next breathe. That was what therapy had helped her learn how to do, after all. Her psychologist would have been proud, and should've been given a pat on the back for his accurate prescriptions.
Then, she said "Well what about Alice?"
And Jasper's laughter bubbled off.
"What about her?" he asked, suddenly subdued.
Too late, Wren realized her mistake. One of the first things she'd ever learned about Jasper was that he and Alice used to date. True, that had come second hand, but his reaction all but confirmed it.
Feeling as if she was only going to keep messing up, Wren bit her tongue and tried to figure out what to do. Usually in situations like that, she remained quiet. Better to say nothing then worsen the problem. Somehow, that didn't seem to be the right thing to do though. Maybe it was because there was no one else around to distract them, or maybe it was because she was supposed to be his friend.
Either way, Wren felt like she had to do something, so she did what she usually did when she needed something to feel better. She pulled out some candy.
Without a word, she shrugged and offered him a roll of Smarties candy. Candy was neutral, and always brightened her mood. True, she'd never actually seen Jasper eat any, but still.
"Thank you, but I'm not really a fan of those," he told her. Something about him still seemed off, but she didn't comment.
Sure, she was incredibly curious about what had happened with Alice. It was weird that he and his siblings seemed to all date, and she really wanted some clarity on that one. There were a lot of things about Jasper that were odd, the more time she spent around him.
But it was really, really none of her business.
More importantly, she'd realized how much she missed having friends.
Overlooking such things wasn't really a good, healthy thing to do. She knew that, and yet she couldn't force herself to stop. There was a part of her that craved interaction and acceptance no matter what she did.
So she ignored the obvious red flags, and hoped that she would never slip enough to let him realize what she really thought.
"What kind of candy do you like, then?" Wren asked him finally. She'd offered him snacks here and there, but he never took any. She figured it might be because his Dad was a doctor and had instilled good health habits in him, but then again she'd never met a teenager who wasn't willing to indulge at least sometimes.
Wren just so happened to like to indulge at all times, and that was probably why Jasper looked like a model and she looked like Grimace from the McDonald's commercials. Honestly, she didn't have any regrets about it either.
"I'm not too fond of candy," Jasper replied, confirming her suspicions.
"Do you like sweets at all?" she asked.
His answer didn't really tell her what she'd wanted to know.
"I'm partial to sugar here and there…"
Rolling her eyes, Wren propped her head up in her hands and looked at him over her glasses. He, of course, met her gaze with perfect eye contact and she fought the urge to flinch.
"So what, do you just throw away all of your Halloween candy?"
The way his eyes glinted told her that he was going to tease her, and she hated that she could already recognize it.
"I'm a bit too old for all that Darlin'. Don't tell me you still go out with all the other kids at night?"
'The other kids? Fuck you,' was what she wanted to say.
"I hand out candy with my Aunty! The bowls there the whole time and there's always some leftover!" was what she saved herself with. Honestly, she was only so indignant because deep in her heart she knew she would totally still trick or treat if she could get away with it. Hell, she'd thought of putting a sheet over her head like a ghost and doing it anyways.
Jasper looked like he knew she'd do it too.
"Is that what you're doing this year?" was all he said, though.
She was thankful.
"Yeah, what do you do?"
She liked their current topic of conversation. It was safe, easy.
"Usually nothing," he said.
"Not even candy?"
He looked away from her then, and Wren finally felt a little less tense.
"No, we live too far out to get any kids comin' up."
Considering what she'd seen of Washington so far, she believed it. Some of the houses were situated smack in the middle of the woods.
Finally finishing what she'd been working on, Wren slid it over to Jasper so that he could look it over. Most of their study sessions involved her working, and him checking her work. That had surprised her too. She was used to being the one to put in the most work on projects; the one who had to fact check and pull the weight.
Jasper didn't make her feel that way though. It was almost as if he knew all the answers before he even saw the question. She didn't have any other classes with him, but she'd seen him work on a few other subjects before. He never needed help, references, or anything she'd come to expect from another student.
It seemed for as pretty as he was, he was just as smart. Wren had always been told she was smart, but even she had to study and get things wrong sometimes. She needed to double check, rework problems, and put in the work. Jasper though, he just breezed through.
She'd had the passing thought that maybe he was one of those guys that just put whatever answer he could find, but from what she could tell that wasn't the case. It was humbling in more ways than one.
It reminded her not to judge people and softened her to him all the more. She was so used to everyone being superficial, herself included. She'd forgotten that getting close to people meant new sides to them.
And so, just being with Jasper had put her in a good mood. Even with the nerves, the embarrassment, and the difficulty she had trying to find her words, she still appreciated it. She just liked when he laughed and brought her little snacks. She liked that she didn't have to worry about leaving him behind academically. She liked spending time with him, and she liked that he seemed to like spending time with her too.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
When it got about time to make dinner, she'd been in a good mood. Good moods usually meant she made something that took a little more effort.
That was why, with her music pumping and her day coming to an end, she decided she wanted to make a good pork roast with mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and veggies. Each dish took prep, seasoning, and time in general.
That was why as she cooked, time went by. That was why she didn't hear her Aunty come home.
That was why the simple letter hurt her twice as bad.
She'd never been afraid of mail. Wren feared many, many things, but the daily post wasn't one of them. After all, scary things rarely came through the mail. She'd heard stories of disturbing things being sent through the post. Stalker messages. Body Parts.
All the usual extra creepy stuff that was in movies and crime tv shows, she'd heard of, but of course never expected for herself. After all, those things were so far away from the frame of her life, what did she have to fear from the mail?
She got the answer to her question that evening.
When she noticed that her Aunt was home, Wren turned down her music, but didn't turn towards her quite yet. She was busy mashing potatoes, and hadn't wanted them to burn.
"Hey Aunty," she'd said.
Seconds passed, and when she didn't get a reply Wren realized something was wrong. Curious, she turned off the burner, put a lid on the pot, and turned around.
Generally, her Aunty was tired when she came home. Tired, but always ready with a hug and a smile for her niece.
This time, there were neither. Angel was leaning against the counter, a stack of mail held loosely in her hands. Her brow was pulled tight, and she was frowning in a way that was just a little sad. Immediately worried that something had happened at work, Wren's stomach dropped.
"What happened?"
"Baby," her Aunty started," nothing bad happened. It's just… you got a letter."
The knot in her stomach loosened, but the confusion set in.
"Okay?" she replied. Wren didn't get much mail, but when she did it was usually junk mail or something she'd ordered offline. Moving towards her Aunt, Wren focused on the mail in an attempt to see what had her Aunt so rattled.
"Who's it from?"
Her Aunty got very tense for a moment, before she sighed deeply.
"Look, I knew this was coming. I don't want you to be upset with me, but I didn't know how to talk to you about it. I've been real busy and I just didn't get the chance to figure it out. But I want you to know that everything is okay, and that she's okay. She's not mad," her Aunt told her.
Then she handed her the simple white envelope, and Wren looked down at it.
The moment she read the sender's name, the bubble she'd been living in popped.
She looked at it, not knowing what to do. She hadn't seen that name in five years. She hadn't thought she ever would again.
But it was one she knew well. One she thought of often, when she remembered just how much the world sucked sometimes.
And despite it all, just reading that name and staring at handwriting that was so familiar yet different brought an unparalleled joy.
Before she knew it, she felt arms wrap themselves around her as she was pulled into a warm embrace. The welcoming softness of her Auntie's hug brought her back to reality, and with a start Wren realized she been standing stock still in the kitchen, simply staring. It was with an even heavier heart that she realized that her face was wet, the salty smell of tears heavy in her nose.
Her Aunty was hugging her, softly rubbing her back.
"It's okay baby, shhh it's okay," she was repeating. Wren didn't know for how long. At once she felt stupid, like a little girl making a scene.
She hated worrying her Aunty more than anything, and had made it her job to keep out of her hair as much as possible. Standing in that kitchen was not helping. It made her feel like a failure.
That, in turn, made her cry all the harder. Crying could be cathartic, sure, but what she was doing didn't feel all that relieving. By the times her sobs stopped, her chest hurt and her head throbbed. It felt as if a damn had broken within her leaving nothing but wreckage in its wake. She felt empty, yet still torn raw.
By the time she had gone to bed, she realized that she'd cried for more than a simple letter. Her tears had come from a lot of pent-up things she didn't want to face. She'd needed to let it out, and nowhere was safer than her Auntie's arms.
Still, she felt no better for it. Not in that moment.
And as the night wore on, the white envelope sat on her dresser still unopened.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
He'd come crave her proximity.
Well, when it came to school at least. Jasper couldn't quite explain her reaction to his attempts at manipulating her emotions, but he was sure about one thing: her emotional plane called to him. She experienced emotions rapidly, many often conflicting. This was fair considering her age and the human penchant for complex emotions in general. Despite it all, she still had a center of calm that soothed him amidst the emotional chaos that bred in high schools. He admittedly struggled with controlling himself on a good day, but being around individuals with such loud churning emotions made things twice as hard. Once he'd acclimated himself to her presence, he found that Wren helped immensely with that problem.
Even among the masses, he found that she was always at the forefront of his senses, which made tuning everyone else out easier.
It was for this reason that when he saw her in their History class, he noticed that something was wrong immediately. Not only was his usual punctual partner late, but he felt the absolute storm of her emotions before she'd even entered the room.
Jasper felt the sadness, the anxiety, the anger….the hope. It was a strange mix, but it nearly suffocated him. It put him on edge, his own nerves setting aflame and making him weary of every person in the building. Making him more dangerous.
When Wren walked in the room, though, all of his attention shifted to her. She looked haggard. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't noticed the slightly darkened skin beneath her eyes nearly every day, but the dark circles she sported then made her vacant stare all the more striking. Her curly hair had been pulled back haphazardly, looking like she hadn't even bothered to brush it. Her t-shirt was rumpled, her usual hoodie nowhere in site.
Now Jasper knew Wren wasn't a fashionista by any means, but she usually put more care into her appearance. More than that, she usually put more care into her surroundings. She didn't even bother to acknowledge their teacher speaking to her as she came in past the proper time.
Nor did she so much as glance his way when she dropped into her seat.
She looked and felt miserable. He of course tried to bend her emotions into a feeling of ease, comfort, and anything else he could do to be rid of her current state. But as par course, his gift only settled over her briefly before it was shoved aside. This only seemed to backfire, because once he realized his failure his mood only continued to sour. If he wasn't careful, he'd begin to project and start a riot within moments.
'Spilling a little blood wouldn't be so bad…' the thought sent a shiver through him, and he tried to remember all the reasons that was wrong.
He was spiraling.
"Are you okay?" the words came, unbidden.
He got a shrug in reply.
A hot shot of irritation raced through him, the need to figure out and fix the problem strong. Wren was shy and anxious, but there was life to it that seemed absent now.
"I'm serious Darlin', you don't look too well."
If is tone was a little sharp, it couldn't be helped. Her breathing turned to a long pull, her eyes slipping shut. He counted 17 seconds before she opened them again. Still slumped over her desk with her eyes turned away from him, she finally spoke.
"I'm just tired."
"You're always tired, this ain't that," he shot back at her in an instant.
They made it through the period with him studying her, gently prodding here and there.
Seeming to realize that he wasn't going to leave her alone, she turned towards him. Her large brown eyes were downcast, and he could see the puffiness as well as the darkness. She'd been crying.
"Look, I just need to figure some things out, I'll be fine," she said softly, her hands idly picking at her jeans. He could see fine goosebumps on her arms. She was obviously cold, but it was like she didn't seem to notice. It seemed like she wasn't noticing much of anything as people cleared out of the room around them.
For as much as Jasper thrived through conflict, he hated beating around the bush. She often tried to avoid saying things, but teasing them out of her was satisfying. She'd be embarrassed, but ultimately fine. He could tell Wren had come to expect it, even, and was offering her voice more and more without provocation.
This was different, though. She was obviously upset, and it was affecting him too much for him to not need a solution. Beyond that… he also found that he didn't like seeing her so upset.
"Contrary to what you may believe, talking helps," he told her.
There was a slight shake to her head, and he knew she was about deny him again. Before she could, he reached out to force her to look at him. His fingers slipped under her chin; the soft skin warm against his hand. That shook her out of her stupor, if only a little. Wide, startled brown eyes met his own, her full lips parting in a soft gasp.
She really did have such a pretty little face, and he stopped himself from sliding his hand down to her neck. He pulled back once he had her full attention, not following the train of thought that action would bring.
"Wren, I'm serious. I can help if you let me."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Her heart, fragile as it already was, all but jumped up her throat. Jasper's fingers were absolutely frigid against her skin, but she'd committed the feel of those long fingers to memory.
Then she processed what he'd said, and reality came crashing back.
Her stomach churned uncomfortably, her nerves rising to higher and higher levels the longer she looked him in the eyes. God, but Jasper had beautiful eyes. The odd golden color seemed darker than usual, piercing her to her core.
He seemed so concerned about her, and it just made her feel like an idiot. She'd rolled out of the house that morning absolutely zombified from the night before. She didn't look great, she didn't feel great, and she hated the fact that he'd noticed. Maria had asked but had given her space when she'd brushed her off.
Jasper didn't do that. He was eating up all of her space like he owned it, and she couldn't understand why he cared at all. He was genuinely nice to her, thoughtful, smart, beautiful-
"I can see you overthinking something," his said, his voice breaking the silence around them. Everyone had left the classroom except for their teacher and a lone student talking at the front.
"You can't see me thinking," she told him, horrified by the fact that he'd been right.
"I can see that somethin's bothering you," he replied smoothly.
Once again swept back to the moment, she marveled at Jasper's ability to make her feel like an emotional ping pong ball. He was just as good at ripping her from her anxiety as he was at causing it.
It made her wonder if he'd be just as good at the 'talking thing' too. She felt incredibly stupid, yes, but maybe if she sounded her problems off of a third party…
Maybe if she said it out loud, she'd be able to open the damn letter.
'Maybe he won't want to talk to me as much anymore either,' was a thought that hung heavy on her mind as well.
As it was, she couldn't make sense of herself. She felt dumb for letting such a small thing affect her. But she also felt scared, and she desperately wanted someone to tell her that it would be okay.
Jasper probably wouldn't do that, but it would make her feel normal to just tell someone, and of all the people she'd been around, Wren realized that Jasper was the only one she wanted to tell. He had that air about him that drew you in.
She wanted to trust him, and the one thing holding her back was the very thing he was asking to know.
So, hoping for the best, Wren finally gave in.
"Fine just.. not here," she said lowly. They should've left minutes ago, and by now their teacher was looking between them and the clock. His next period was already beginning to trickle in.
"All right then," Jasper said," walk with me."
Gathering her things, Wren trailed after the blonde. She went to stop outside of the classroom, but Jasper continued walking,
"Uh, I actually need to go the opposite way for class…?" she called after him hesitantly.
That stopped his stride, and he turned to wave her closer.
"You really want to go to class right now? You barely looked like you were going to make it through the last one," he told her.
A stray thought passed through her mind, but she dismissed it as quickly as it came.
'He wouldn't…'
"What do you mean?" she asked carefully.
A blonde brow rose, a challenge clear there.
"What, you never skip a class before?"
'Aaaaand he did.'
"That's- I mean it isn't-" Wren stumbled, feeling her face grow warm. She didn't even know what she was trying to say, taken by surprise as she was.
Jasper wanted to skip class. With her. To talk about her problems.
When it came to him, there were always surprises.
Well, Wren had a few of her own.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Ooooh look at these bad kids smh. At least Wren's finally treating him like a friend instead of a leper lol Anyway tell me what you think